President Salva Kiir delivers a speech during the swearing-in ceremony of his three SPLM deputies at the party headquarters in Juba. Photo: Moses Awan/Eye Radio

JUBA, Central Equatoria (Eye Radio) — President Salva Kiir has declared the beginning of a new chapter in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), saying the appointment of three new deputies marks a generational shift as younger leaders assume roles once held by the party’s founding members.

Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony at the SPLM House in Juba on Thursday, May 232, President Kiir officially welcomed the newly appointed deputies of SPLM, declaring the beginning of a new chapter and urging unity during the leadership transition.

“Comrades, today we turn a new day in our journey,” Kiir stated. “As your President and Chairman of the Party, I am proud to welcome the new generation officially. The newly appointed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Deputies and Chairperson of the SPLM are all from the new generation, stepping into roles once held by our founding comrades who carried the vision and mission of the SPLM through the darkest days.”

Those sworn in include Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel as First Deputy Chairman, Mary Apai as Second Deputy Chairperson, and Simon Kun Puoch as Third Deputy Chairman.

President Kiir used the occasion to pay tribute to the outgoing senior SPLM figures who were relieved of their duties, acknowledging their pivotal contributions to the party and the country’s liberation.

“We thank our comrades. We honor their sacrifices and their contributions to this party and this country. They can never be replaced,” he said.

Acknowledging the sensitivity of leadership transitions, Kiir urged party members to resist division and instead rally around the SPLM’s mission.

“Transition can be difficult. Change can bring division. But I ask you all, don’t let this moment divide us. Let it unite us,” he said. “The SPLM must remain strong, must remain united, must remain focused. We are not in competition with each other. We are in service of the people.”

The ceremony was witnessed by senior SPLM figures, including members of the National Liberation Council, Political Bureau, and senior officials from both the executive and legislative arms of government.